Kadary “Swiss Army Knife” Richmond...

[50YRsofCuse]

Like many of our fans, I am impressed with the contributions made by Kadary Richmond. What a difference a day makes. That day was the date when Andre Jackson (one-time guarantee lock to play at Syracuse) committed to play for the UCONN Huskies. Soon after, Syracuse offer Kadary Richmond (a one-time lock for the UCONN Huskies and not really well-known to the Syracuse faithful) who almost immediately accepts (Syracuse wanted him to wait until he visited the campus).

Talk about fitting into an ideal situation. Syracuse ends up only having 2 guards returning due to defections and Kadary has requisite ball handling skills and contributes from the start. While Andre Jackson ( a Syracuse fan) thinking (or promised) he will be a starter and major contributor as a 2 Guard from the start at UCONN is sitting on the bench. If Andre Jackson came to Syracuse, his presence on the depth chart may or may not have been a factor in Alan Griffin’s decision to transfer to Syracuse, nor would his skills match up for the point guard needs.

A lot of us (posters) were disappointed when Andre was first lost to Syracuse that on the top of losing Isiah Jackson to Kentucky. Then we got commitments from Kadary and through transfer in by Alan Griffin and another late commitment by Frank Anselem (who has a lot of potential as a defensive force). Man, we went from a punch in a gut recruiting situation to a so far nice, real nice situation.

If Syracuse ended up with Andre Jackson (whom I still like his potential and explosiveness), we would not have had the depth and skill level at the guard positions that now exists. Perhaps we would have had reached out to Howard Washington and/or Brendan Paul off the transfer portal to serve as the third guard.

Funny how things worked out for the best for Syracuse.

 

[Melancer46]

I was one of those who cautioned that “he doesn’t play defense”, having watched Kadary in person last season at Brewster. I’m so glad to eat crow, he’s already shown himself to be a stud at the top of the zone! His instincts for tips/blocks, coupled with his capacity to come down and grab rebounds is so impressive.

I definitely think he had (and still has to a degree) a tendency to give up on the play once he's beat, but his hands always stood out in the high school games I watched. When I wrote up my scouting report on him, I mentioned his hands on defense being one of his 3 best traits. I don't think he'll be the absolute terror that MCW was for us at the top of the zone, but he's going to be very disruptive.

 

[moqui]

Like many of our fans, I am impressed with the contributions made by Kadary Richmond. What a difference a day makes. That day was the date when Andre Jackson (one-time guarantee lock to play at Syracuse) committed to play for the UCONN Huskies. Soon after, Syracuse offer Kadary Richmond (a one-time lock for the UCONN Huskies and not really well-known to the Syracuse faithful) who almost immediately accepts (Syracuse wanted him to wait until he visited the campus).

Talk about fitting into an ideal situation. Syracuse ends up only having 2 guards returning due to defections and Kadary has requisite ball handling skills and contributes from the start. While Andre Jackson ( a Syracuse fan) thinking (or promised) he will be a starter and major contributor as a 2 Guard from the start at UCONN is sitting on the bench. If Andre Jackson came to Syracuse, his presence on the depth chart may or may not have been a factor in Alan Griffin’s decision to transfer to Syracuse, nor would his skills match up for the point guard needs.

A lot of us (posters) were disappointed when Andre was first lost to Syracuse that on the top of losing Isiah Jackson to Kentucky. Then we got commitments from Kadary and through transfer in by Alan Griffin and another late commitment by Frank Anselem (who has a lot of potential as a defensive force). Man, we went from a punch in a gut recruiting situation to a so far nice, real nice situation.

If Syracuse ended up with Andre Jackson (whom I still like his potential and explosiveness), we would not have had the depth and skill level at the guard positions that now exists. Perhaps we would have had reached out to Howard Washington and/or Brendan Paul off the transfer portal to serve as the third guard.

Funny how things worked out for the best for Syracuse.

the timing made it seem like kadary was a backup plan for andre, but i think we may have offered him anyway. but in that case (having kadary, andre & woody already incoming) we might not have taken griff.

 

[Melancer46]

Like many of our fans, I am impressed with the contributions made by Kadary Richmond. What a difference a day makes. That day was the date when Andre Jackson (one-time guarantee lock to play at Syracuse) committed to play for the UCONN Huskies. Soon after, Syracuse offer Kadary Richmond (a one-time lock for the UCONN Huskies and not really well-known to the Syracuse faithful) who almost immediately accepts (Syracuse wanted him to wait until he visited the campus).

Talk about fitting into an ideal situation. Syracuse ends up only having 2 guards returning due to defections and Kadary has requisite ball handling skills and contributes from the start. While Andre Jackson ( a Syracuse fan) thinking (or promised) he will be a starter and major contributor as a 2 Guard from the start at UCONN is sitting on the bench. If Andre Jackson came to Syracuse, his presence on the depth chart may or may not have been a factor in Alan Griffin’s decision to transfer to Syracuse, nor would his skills match up for the point guard needs.

A lot of us (posters) were disappointed when Andre was first lost to Syracuse that on the top of losing Isiah Jackson to Kentucky. Then we got commitments from Kadary and through transfer in by Alan Griffin and another late commitment by Frank Anselem (who has a lot of potential as a defensive force). Man, we went from a punch in a gut recruiting situation to a so far nice, real nice situation.

If Syracuse ended up with Andre Jackson (whom I still like his potential and explosiveness), we would not have had the depth and skill level at the guard positions that now exists. Perhaps we would have had reached out to Howard Washington and/or Brendan Paul off the transfer portal to serve as the third guard.

Funny how things worked out for the best for Syracuse.

Yeah, I liked Andre but I really loved Kadary once I got a chance to see him. Isaiah was a pretty big loss in the very least in terms of getting us back on the NBA radar again. He's looking like a lottery pick this year.

 

[jdubs30]

Buddy said that Kadary is the best defensive guard he’s played with at Syracuse. Which is extremely impressive considering he played with junior Tyus and senior Frank

 

[orangeinnyc]

I agree but why? Joe's not a senior. He's a guy who stepped up and did an admirable job as a freshman when he was not expected to play much. It needs to be Kadary's team. Joe will continue to be a big contributor.

I think a few reasons. You want Kadary to get a feel for the game flow first. Let him watch from the bench for the first few mins with JB than insert him aka Dion in 2012. Also you want to give joe a chance to get hot and see how he’s playing. I do agree though we are st our best with Kadary out there. Joe is gonna win us some games though and we need to keep him engaged.

 

[CuseCPT]

this whole current rage among a faction of posters - viewing various players as competitors with one another rather than teammates competing together - is disturbing

That is a byproduct of running a short bench rotation. If not, the short bench certainly exacerbates it. Kirbi's post was over the top for sure, but fears of a certain player getting 35+ minutes regardless of how good or bad they are playing are hardly unwarranted.

When it comes to viewing players as being competitors with one another, they are. They are still teammates too of course, but people competing for minutes isn't anything sinister.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Like many of our fans, I am impressed with the contributions made by Kadary Richmond. What a difference a day makes. That day was the date when Andre Jackson (one-time guarantee lock to play at Syracuse) committed to play for the UCONN Huskies. Soon after, Syracuse offer Kadary Richmond (a one-time lock for the UCONN Huskies and not really well-known to the Syracuse faithful) who almost immediately accepts (Syracuse wanted him to wait until he visited the campus).

Talk about fitting into an ideal situation. Syracuse ends up only having 2 guards returning due to defections and Kadary has requisite ball handling skills and contributes from the start. While Andre Jackson ( a Syracuse fan) thinking (or promised) he will be a starter and major contributor as a 2 Guard from the start at UCONN is sitting on the bench. If Andre Jackson came to Syracuse, his presence on the depth chart may or may not have been a factor in Alan Griffin’s decision to transfer to Syracuse, nor would his skills match up for the point guard needs.

A lot of us (posters) were disappointed when Andre was first lost to Syracuse that on the top of losing Isiah Jackson to Kentucky. Then we got commitments from Kadary and through transfer in by Alan Griffin and another late commitment by Frank Anselem (who has a lot of potential as a defensive force). Man, we went from a punch in a gut recruiting situation to a so far nice, real nice situation.

If Syracuse ended up with Andre Jackson (whom I still like his potential and explosiveness), we would not have had the depth and skill level at the guard positions that now exists. Perhaps we would have had reached out to Howard Washington and/or Brendan Paul off the transfer portal to serve as the third guard.

Funny how things worked out for the best for Syracuse.

Some of our greatest players were initially considered ones we’d “settled” for:
Hakim Warrick, Sherman Douglas, Lawrence Moten.
And correct me if I’m wrong, even Rony Seikely was “discovered” after we’d missed out on JR Reid choosing UNC.
We have a history of picking up great players as a 2nd option. Kadary fits that M.O. to a tee!

 

[orange79]

He'll always be Kadary!™ to me.

 

[kirbivore]

It’s really weird to be actively rooting against kids on your “favorite” team

Just glad the correct players are getting the larger share of the minutes.

 

[UpstateSM]

Just glad the correct players are getting the larger share of the minutes.

Yeah sure and I do shots of waz because I like how it tastes

 

[OrangeinDC]

I was one of those who cautioned that “he doesn’t play defense”, having watched Kadary in person last season at Brewster. I’m so glad to eat crow, he’s already shown himself to be a stud at the top of the zone! His instincts for tips/blocks, coupled with his capacity to come down and grab rebounds is so impressive.

Watching him play, his game speed is deceptive... He doesn't waste energy on his his moves or dribbling, he goes the right speed until he needs too change it. His moves are quick, downhill and aggressive towards the rim, but he still has enough control if there's a better option, to make a better play.

A strong mature guard learns how he affects the movement of the defense, not just the man that's guarding him, Kadary seems to get that already. Scary thought is that he's only going to get better...
Love it!

 

[OrangeinDC]

What a gift being able to watch him play. In person the only other players i saw either playing for or against SU that were generational talents were

Dr. J. Im not sure how many he had but he was spectacular. Also he wasn't allowed to Dunk. It was the single best performance i ever saw
Calvin Murphy. Same i think he had 60 points. Crazy good. Johnny Flynn on steroids good.
Magic. Only losing player and i believe freshman to be named MVP of the Carrier Classic. Blew everyone away.
As to SU guys. Billy O, DC, and Melo.

Would be the bomb to have some beers with you and here some stories!!

 

[cusediehard]

I'm as big a Kadary fan as anybody here but also think his presence on the team benefits Joe in the big picture. Joe is fiercely competitive and won't get as much playing time but will be driven to hone the weaker aspects of his game. This is good for everybody.

 

[Cusesky8214]

 

[Niastri]

I definitely think he had (and still has to a degree) a tendency to give up on the play once he's beat, but his hands always stood out in the high school games I watched. When I wrote up my scouting report on him, I mentioned his hands on defense being one of his 3 best traits. I don't think he'll be the absolute terror that MCW was for us at the top of the zone, but he's going to be very disruptive.

I think giving up on the play after you are beaten, assuming you weren't playing Matador in the first place, is an admirable trait.

It's way better than giving up a pointless three point play and getting in foul trouble. How many times through the years had somebody gotten beaten badly only to make it worse for us?

 

[Ceerqqq]

The most disappointing thing I've seen in Kadary so far is the change he made in his "Look" from his H.S. days.

I thought his Hair Presentation a year ago was really cool looking...

Would have looked great on the court with QG's and AG's hair stylings, IMO...

 

[Orangezoo]

In terms of Kadary as a defender vs MCW I think KR is just as disruptive and dominant but in different ways. KR is averaging over a block per game in just 26 mpg along with 2.6 spg. MCW in 35 mpg averaged .5 blk and 2.7 spg. Richmond is more physical and this does some different things while being a different player but is a lethal defender up top with the potential to put up even better numbers than MCW did defensively.

Also MCW averaged 4.7 FT attempts per game and KR is at 4.1 right now already and just starting to be more aggressive. They both put opponents on edge and under pressure. I can't wait to see what KR looks like come March

 

[orangepassion]

Zero points on one shot attempt for Andre Jackson today. Boy did we get lucky with his decision and the dominoes that followed.

Warrick-esque.

 

[orangefog]

In terms of Kadary as a defender vs MCW I think KR is just as disruptive and dominant but in different ways. KR is averaging over a block per game in just 26 mpg along with 2.6 spg. MCW in 35 mpg averaged .5 blk and 2.7 spg. Richmond is more physical and this does some different things while being a different player but is a lethal defender up top with the potential to put up even better numbers than MCW did defensively.

Also MCW averaged 4.7 FT attempts per game and KR is at 4.1 right now already and just starting to be more aggressive. They both put opponents on edge and under pressure. I can't wait to see what KR looks like come March

Kadary's pace is nice. He just sizes up his man and beats him with relatively subtle moves. Coupled with his size means he can get an open midrange shot anytime he wants. Or draw a defender and then dish.

 

[Orangezoo]

Kadary's pace is nice. He just sizes up his man and beats him with relatively subtle moves. Coupled with his size means he can get an open midrange shot anytime he wants. Or draw a defender and then dish.

He also has another gear he showed vs UB too. Loved seeing him throw off UB defenders when he used a really fast first step to accelerate to the hoop too.

 

[orangefog]

He also has another gear he showed vs UB too. Loved seeing him throw off UB defenders when he used a really fast first step to accelerate to the hoop too.

If he can get his outside shot a little more consistent in games, he will be pretty much impossible to stop...and likely on his way to the NBA.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Girard on the bench in crunch time was so satisfying

Man if buddy ever finds the bench we should buy a Marlboro 12-pack for the board haters.

 

[EastCoast2]

As board arbiter of nicknaming, I propose that a simplification to "Swiss" Richmond may ultimately be where the nickname lands, and what could work best.

Alternatively, he may prove himself worthy of Thickburger.

There can only be two “ThickBurgers”. CJ Fair and Dion Waiters.

 

[MikeSU02]

Are we still not sure if Kadary should start?